Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Heidenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate to climb off the bottom of the Bundesliga table, Heidenheim will face an uphill battle when they travel to take on Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.

BVB will be hoping to bounce back strongly from their defeat in Europe last time out, while FCH would be pleased to simply avoid another loss.

Match preview

Niko Kovac's Dortmund were downed 2-0 by Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, meaning that they have now lost two of their three most recent games after also being beaten 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur on January 20.

However, sandwiched between those continental disappointments was a dominant 3-0 victory over Union Berlin, a result that extended BVB's undefeated run in the Bundesliga to 12 matches.

Keen to resume their impressive domestic displays, Kovac's side head into the weekend second in the table with 42 points, though they are eight behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich and just three above third-placed Hoffenheim.

Christian Ilzer's surprise entrants into the top four are the most in-form club in the German top flight at the moment, and it would not be surprising to see Die Kraichgauer close the gap with another win.

That being said, Dortmund will be confident of keeping in front of Hoffenheim considering that they are unbeaten at home in the league this season, and have won their last four on the bounce at home in the division, keeping three clean sheets in the process.

Meanwhile, Frank Schmidt's Heidenheim survived in 2024-25 by winning the Bundesliga's relegation playoff, but their recent form suggests that they could be in line for automatic demotion this time around.

FCH thought they had sparked their campaign into life by beating Union 2-1 and Freiburg by the same scoreline in late November and early December respectively, but the club have only avoided defeat in two of their six games since.

That demoralising run included a 3-0 loss against RB Leipzig last Saturday and has left Schmidt's men at the foot of the table with just 13 points, a tally that puts them five from safety and two short of Mainz 05 in the playoff spot.

Falling further behind their rivals at this stage could prove disastrous for the visitors, but considering that Heidenheim have lost all but two of their away league games this season - winning just one - the travelling fans will be fearing the worst.

To add to their concerns, no team have conceded more goals than FCH in the top flight, and no team have scored fewer, a fact that is especially troubling given that Dortmund have kept the most clean sheets in the division (10), while also scoring 12 goals in their last four domestic matches.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

Team News

Dortmund have a relatively fit squad to choose from this weekend, though centre-back Waldemar Anton is a doubt due to illness.

If he is unavailable, then Kovac could opt for a defensive trio of Emre Can, Ramy Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck, flanked by wing-backs Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson.

Elsewhere, versatile midfielder Marcel Sabitzer's fitness is also in question as he works his way into contention following a calf injury, though Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha should be on hand to start in the centre of the park regardless.

As for Heidenheim, they will be without striker Budu Zivzivadze and fellow forward Christian Conteh once again as they close in on returns from their knee injuries, while centre-forward Mikkel Kaufmann is a doubt due to illness.

In their absence, Marvin Pieringer looks set to start up top, supported by Arijon Ibrahimovic and Mathias Honsak from out wide, as well as Adrian Beck from an attacking midfield position.

At the opposite end of the pitch, centre-back Benedikt Gimber is suspended (yellow cards), while Adam Kolle has a muscle injury and left-back Leart Paqarada is out for the season, so expect to see Patrick Mainka and Tim Siersleben at the heart of defence, and Jonas Fohrenbach at left-back.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Busch, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Dorsch; Ibrahimovic, Beck, Honsak; Pieringer

We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Heidenheim

Dortmund may have struggled in Europe lately, but their domestic form has been impressive this season, and they are unbeaten at home so far.

Heidenheim also have one of the worst defensive records in the Bundesliga, as well as one of the bluntest attacks, so it would not be surprising to see BVB win by a significant margin on Sunday.

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